"Jennifer’s Bodies is a roving annual festival of female-helmed horror movies and part of Women In Horror Recognition Month, an international assortment of affiliated events organised partly to highlight just how much women can and do contribute to the genre outwith the typically accepted factors of tits, ass and mezzosoprano screaming." Starburst Magazine

Friday, 21 March 2014

Get On Board the Awesome Kickstarter Campaign to Bring Shane McKenzie's El Gigante to Life, from the Amazing Gigi Saul Guerrero and her Team at Luchagore Productions!

Kickstarter is a joyous place, filled with many a funky project that one can get on board. One of those projects right now is one that I guarantee you will NOT want to miss!! :)

The very first moment that I came across Vancouver based Mexican director Gigi Saul Guerrero, I knew I had found someone truly unique and special. Whilst only 23, Gigi has the talent of someone far beyond her years. And an AMAZING creative team too. Working in Vancouver, with some of the most awesome guys and gals around...including make-up/fx chicks Carolyn Williams and Amy-Leigh Poitras, both of whom worked with one of my bestest friends in the world, Jennifer Campbell, on her award winning short Bruised, Gigi is proving to be a Mexican on a mission! :)

When I screened two of Gigi's shorts, Dia De Los Muertos and M is for Matador at Jennifer's Bodies last month, they went down an absolute treat! Not only is there a wicked sense of twisted humour to these films, they are gore~geously shot/edited....you name it....they're just so fucking good! Don't just take my word for it though, here's what Starburst Magazine had to say about them -

"Next up were two shorts from 23-year-old Mexican prodigy Gigi Saul Guerrero. Both had a distinctive style highly reminiscent of early Robert Rodriguez, in particular Dia de los Muertos, where “Life is a bitch and you gotta be a bigger bitch than her.” With its grindhouse aesthetic, pounding guitars, dive bar sleaze, gorgeous girls, greasy guys and a metric fuckton of condensed badassery, it could easily be a deleted scene from Desperado.

Such is the strength of Dia de los Muertos, it has been included in Mexican anthology México Bárbaro after Guerrero’s previous short (and next in the line up) M Is For Matador got her noticed. Entered in the open contest for The ABCs of Death 2, its absence of dialogue, grisly close ups and story of a murderous bullfighter told in the confines of a brief running time made it perfect for the anthology sequel. While not the overall winning entry, it was however selected for The ABCs of Death 1.5, a compilation of 26 runner-up entries (to give some perspective, there were 541 submissions)."

I was so fucking impressed with Dia De Los Muertos, that I decided to get my make up artist Hayley Tinline to sugar skull me up in honour of this wicked little short! That's how cool it is! I well wanted to be a Mexican stripper all sugar skulled up, moooahahaha!! :)

The project that the ever so rad team at Luchagore Productions are working on now, is an adaptation of Shane McKenzie's graphic novel, El Gigante.

When Fangoria writer John Skipp read the novel, he had THIS to say -

“And I hope to f*ck that if somebody makes a film out of this thing – and somebody should– they’re smart and thoughtful and hard-working enough to include all the savory spices that make it such a far-better-than-you-had-any-right-to-expect kickass multicultural low-rent gutter sonofabitch.”

Well, John...I can absofuckinglutely say, that if anyone can make this into a brilliantly demented Mexican gorefest, it's Miss Gigi and her Luchagore guys! Seriously....just check out the rest of her work!!

Readers of my blog will also be aware that Gigi is so awesomely talented, that she has been selected to be part of the kick ass Mexican anthology Mexico Barbaro, alongside some fucking cool, and insanely talented Mexicans!

Now unfortunately, unless you can catch it at a festival screening, you're going to have to wait until the release of Mexico Barbaro to see Dia De Los Muertos. You can however check out the Luchagore YouTube channel for an idea of what you would be getting yourselves in for by getting on board this Kickstarter campaign, and check out the teaser for Dia De Los Muertos...it's gooood!! I've also attached her ABC's of Death 1.5 winning entry M is for Matador, which again is stupid quantities of awesome! :) Both of these films were made on a low budget, which goes to show a huge amount of fucking talent, and that unlike in Hollywood...these guys make sure they get the most out of their money, which is another great reason to get on board. Gigi is going to be a star, no fucking doubt about it! World of horror, look out....Little Miss Mexico and her Luchador's are out to get ya! ;)

To check out the Kickstarter campaign video, and to check out the super awesome perks and stuff, which include a shit ton of cool stuff, go and visit HERE!!! :)You can also check out an interview with Gigi that I did last month HERE!